Takeaways From Utah Basketball’s 72-61 Loss To West Virignia
Feb 8, 2025, 6:31 PM | Updated: Feb 10, 2025, 5:28 pm
SALT LAKE CITY—Utah failed to capitalize on their strengths in their 72-61 loss to West Virginia.
The Utes fall to 13-10 overall, 5-7 in Big 12 play, with another road test against Cincinnati on Tuesday.
FINAL – Utah 61, West Virginia 72
After cutting the lead to 5, Utah could not score for most of the remaining three minutes of the game. https://t.co/oF7qPi7AY0
— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) February 9, 2025
Here are takeaways from the game…
Keanu Dawes should play more
After finishing with 14 points and 11 rebounds, Dawes has to play more. In fact, play him next to Ezra Ausar and Jake Wahlin a lot more.
Dawes just has an innate ability to be productive. He puts the ball through the hoop at the rim and behind the arc. He rebounds at a very high level and he competes on the defensive end of the floor.
Smith simply has to get him on the floor and keep him there more moving forward.
Utah’s inability to capitalize on advantages
One of the primary advantages for Utah coming into this matchup was their size advantage, which was evident in the paint and on the glass. The Utes have shown that they can be a formidable team in both these areas, but against West Virginia, they failed to take full advantage of those advantages.
Utah ended up outrebounding West Virginia 35-33, but the Mountaineers held the edge for most of the game. More alarming, the Mountaineers’ 6 offensive rebounds led to 11 second-chance points.
The Mountaineers also scored 24 points in the paint while limiting Utah to just 28. However, the shooting numbers are alarming. West Virginia converted 11 of 13 shots at the rim (layups, dunks), while Utah went 12-of-23. Essentially, the Mountaineers made it much harder for Utah to convert at the rim despite their lack of interior size.
This is not an area of strength for West Virginia. They are a guard-heavy roster, that forces a lot of turnovers with steals. They still did that by the way, while also taking away Utah’s advantages.
This inability to capitalize on their advantages is not limited to this outing either. It’s been an issue in previous contests as well. Coach Smith wanted to have a bigger, longer team, but they struggled to play like it today.
Inconsistency is Utah basketball’s most consistent characteristic
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this Utah team this season is its overall inconsistency—a theme that reared its head once again in this loss. From shooting to effort, substitution patterns to overall competitiveness, the Utes seem to lack the rhythm and cohesiveness necessary for sustained success.
Shooting Woes
Utah’s shooting struggles have been constant throughout the year, and they were on full display against West Virginia. The Utes finished the game converting 41% from the field, 23-of-56, to be exact, but they went just 6-of-23 from 3-point range.
Gabe and Mason Madsen combined to shoot 2-of-12 from deep in this one, with Mason going 1-of-7 and Gabe 1-of-5. They were coming off of their best performance in a while against Colorado, so the showing tonight hurt. Utah desperately needs greater efficiency from these two behind the arc.
At the free-throw line, Utah went 7-of-7 the entire first half, which was really encouraging. Unfortunately, they opened the second half 0-of-4 and finished the game 9-of-14. Again, this points to inconsistency.
As already mentioned, Utah struggles in the paint, specifically at the rim. In some games, they’re dominant and rather efficient inside; in other games, it’s more like this.
Substitution Patterns and Lineup Uncertainty
Perhaps the most maddening aspect of the inconsistency theme is the substitution patterns, which have been discussed for much of the season. The rotations appear to lack continuity, with players often not knowing when or how long they will be on the floor.
This uncertainty can lead to lapses in focus and rhythm, as players struggle to find a consistent groove. Utah doesn’t have a short rotation like other programs. The depth of this team is its strength, but it’s also an issue in defining the rotations.
Against West Virginia, the bench—namely Keanu Dawes—provided the spark that Utah so desperately needed. Dawes led Utah’s second-half efforts. At one point, he had a personal 5-0 run and added another layup later on.
He then converted two free throws, which gave him 9 second-half points and cut West Virginia’s lead to 60-54 at the 4:42 mark. He was subbed out. He was clearly the difference maker in the second half for Utah, so it had to be a short breather.
A timeout was called at 4:01, and Dawes remained on the bench. Then, the media timeout came and went, leaving Dawes still on the bench. He did not re-enter the game until the 1:41 mark after West Virginia rebuilt a 10-point cushion.
UP NEXT – Utah Vs. Cincinnati
Utah closes out its two-game road swing on Tuesday, Feb. 11, when it heads to Cincinnati for a 5 p.m. (MST) match-up inside Fifth Third Arena. Eric Rothman and Tim Welsh will once again have the action on ESPN+ as the Runnin’ Utes look for their first win ever against the Bearcats on the road (0-3).
Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.
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